Pi on my Cake
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
I'm a slow review writer! I like to take my time with full projects!
And you guys wrote 50 pages lol
But since Soul is up I'll post what I have now while I work on Powers!
Body Tours
- This team continues to be an absolute joy to watch work! One of the most in sync teams I've ever seen to the point where it is almost tough even in the brain storming thread to see where one persons suggestions end and another's starts. It is like this super crazy creative hive mind lol
- Yet I also saw that people weren't afraid to challenge each other or ask questions/critique ideas. There was a lot of great back and forth and every time it lead to the project improving! It is very important to not be afraid to call out things that don't work as well even among friends and it is even more important to be able to take/handle critiques! You seem to not just be a team having fun together, but a team helping each other grow!
- I was a bit worried early on with this themed just because at first it felt very much like a "@spacemt354" project knowing his passion for that pavilion and seeing his ideas for the theme. Which wouldn't be a problem, many great projects have been spearheaded by a single person with passion. But Space already said he wasn't going to be around much towards the end of this stanza and I was concerned that this really cool and specific vision would get lost. Yet it quickly became clear that my fears were unfounded as the whole team took to this concept, built on it, expanded on it, and ran with it! A project I once feared would be too much of a "Space" project became full and completely a "Team Soul" project! Something that would have easily won most rounds (especially considering the shortened time period), and only isn't a guaranteed win because of how much the other teams also absolutely brought it!
- That being said, there was a little bit of last minute perfectionism that got in the way a bit. A lot of second guessing and last minute tweaks and stressing out. On one hand you had people giving others a bit too much flak for not doing as much as expected. On the other hand you had people trying to over-edit and tweak things last minute or bite off a bit more than they can chew for the tight time frame. Shorter rounds are a chance to try new things and branch out, but at the same time it can lead to stress if the new things don't turn out as well as the rest of the project did. But everything wound up amazing! And it seems like just a bit of extra stress felt at the end of a rather smooth and fun seeming few days.
- Nothing is perfect though so there'll be some shortcomings pointed out here and there. But don't get discouraged when you see them because this was a truly stand out project!
- On to the Project itself!
- That Logo is amazing and captures the vibe of the time period so perfectly! Really fantastic artwork throughout by @Tegan pilots a chicken!
- The music is amazing at capturing the vibe of the ride while feeling very unique and distinct while STILL feeling very classic Epcot! If I wasn't in the brainstorming thread to see @Homemade Imagineering do it I would've thought this was an actual piece of Epcot area music!
- It was an interesting take going more literal with the "fix" and replacing the ride with a new take on the concept a few years later. Body Wars was a great choice becuase it always has stood out as a bit of a misstep and never fully fit the colorful vibe of the pavilion. But Body Tours takes the base concept and somehow makes it both more fun/cartoony and more educational!
- The Fake forum post reactions are such a fun touch! the one from @Mickeynerd17 cracked me up lol
- The poster (by @spacemt354?) Is super cute and I love the blood cell character designs!
- The whole cast is fantastic! @tcool123 I had no idea you were such a great cartoonist!!! This whole cast made by you and Space did such a fantastic job balancing real science with cartoony charm! Feels totally unique and totally Epcot!
- Always great seeing @Mickeynerd17 Minecraft work here adding some extra visuals and a nice personal touch.
- The extended blueprint tied showing where the ride would be is great! Excellent use of visuals throughout to communicate idea!
- More great art in the queue! The stylistic take on the human brain is a really clever and the whole world here is a fantastic building on Cranium Command set up AND a great toon-ification of the Body Wars set up!
- The dialogu in the pre-show is super cute! Maybe leaning a bit too much into the shy awkward trope (like the Uhhh... Fly Guy from Avatar), but the charm and comedy helps avoid that issue. The memory cloud for the screen is a really clever touch and a good way to communicate all the abstract concepts. I absolutely love that parting line lol.
- "Something new called Wi-Fi" lost it lol
- The art is again amazing!
- The techincal notes on the ride system really sell this incredible ride system as something fully and completely grounded! It feels so real the way you describe it! I'm sure in real life it would be delayed and break down constantly once it opens, but that happens with every Epcot ride ever lol
- That blueprint map is astonishing! Excellent work @Mickeynerd17! I don't know if I've ever seen a ride layout map this incredible detailed! It can be a little tough to read some things with how detailed it is, but the write ups are so descriptive that I don't mind if I miss a slight bit here or there, I'm just astounded that you even have offices and stuff!
- Love the load station! Again, way more detail than we were expecting for a short round, but it never feels bogged down. This really reads like a passion project.
- Hehe Organ Music. Great touch and more great music.
- I'm glad you kept the zoomed in parts of the map. They might be a bit tough to read, but they give a nice bit of added context and help show just how in depth you guys thought about this one. And the character art throughout is just fantastic and oozing with charm.
- The Cranium Command reference is subtle, but well handled.
- The dialogue is just oozing with charm throughout!
- The lifts are a lot of fun and you really do a great job adding neat details for the different rooms!
- The floating effect from Winnie the Pooh is so much fun and I can't believe more dark rides don't do stuff like this! Happy to see it used to good effect here!
- I will say, as clever and great and fun as the dialogue is... Myabe it is a bit too much talking? Could have been simplified a bit. Reading it is super fun, but when each scen has multiple lines of dialogue it might be a bit much in practice. You have great environments and amazing effects! Let them breath! You usually only see this much dialogue when it is calm narration or Dr. Seeker.
- The tortilla raft dining room with the orange and chocolate smells are absolutely charming and might be my favorite bit!
- The Pancreas scene is rather cute of course.
- The transition to the action and seeing the villains is super fun and well done!
- Super Stemphanie!
- It really is interesting leaving the shooter part to the second half. I have mixed feelings because this is a really cool and immersive way to use the shooter effects to add to the storytelling, but I feel like it would leave the first half feeling less exciting, especially for people who are more in it for the arcade stuff. There's pros and cons to this decision.
- I really like the simple touch of saying that the targets are mostly high quality cut outs. Really nice touch that adds some good realism.
- All the cool effects for when you shoot stuff are so much fun! I love that the rewards are more than just a high score!
- Now to take it to Bone
TownCity! - Shooting at the other car is so much fun! always a great call to add that. One of the best parts of the Men in Black ride.
- This is a long ride. A really long ride. Too long of a ride? Maybe. But I love it! But some stuff could have been cut down or out a bit. Though I don't know what I would cut because every room is great and you tell a great narrative!
- But for perspective, Men in Black is a pretty lengthy ride for this type with is 5-6 minutes long. My quick estimates place this as being at least double that. Probably pushing triple that? It almost feels like this is two seperate rides starring the same character. A funducational tour through the body and a
- The bacteria fight is so cool and such a fun sequence!
- Though the finale/wrap up feels pretty long considering most rides finales are "Thanks for your help! I knew we could do it!"
- But again, even is a bit bloated it is very strong!
- Post Show is fantastic and really captures the tone of old school imag works. I love it so much! Great blend of fun and educational! Don't know if this was really needed since Wonders of Life is full of these types of games already (Based on fuzzy childhood memories). But it is very cool.
- The shop is solid too.
- Fun forum comments are always fun and add a lot. A very nice "plus" that isn't need it but makes it fun!
- Nevermind, the old games are gone! Grey's Anatomy theater... I kinda love it. It is a cheap cash in, but it fits the pavilions team and would bring older guests into the more kid focused pavilion. The rest of the updates for the future are all a lot of fun and realistic and cheesy.
- The Disneyland updates and clone are a lot of fun too! With this being a long project already this could have maybe been cut down a bit, but I adored it and it really captures that fun AU vibe I love from projects!
Overall, this was a great project and a truly amazing accomplishment for the time frame! So much great art and ideas here! But maybe a bit bloated at some parts. Simplifying a bit might have helped. 50 Pages of high quality content for a single ride is a monumental accomplishment and you should all be proud of! But it is also a LOT.
- You guys chose an absolutely ambitious project theme and tried something really incredible! And this project has some real stand out moments! Although despite seeming like a well oiled machine in the first three stanzas, communication seemed to have broken down a bit and the final result is a bit scattered and unfocused. As of just a couple hours ago almost every floor's map had large chunks labelled "TBA" and there are a few redundancies or repetitive bits.
- I'm not sure exactly what happened here since this hasn't been an issue with this team in any previous stanza, but something to be careful of in the next round is that communication is key! Especially when you divide up into smaller groups you need to make sure everyone knows what you are doing and how your progress is going! And ya gotta make sure everyone is on the same page with a clear goal in mind.
- I think @Imagineer Brandon's more purposefully hands off approach to leadership usually works well, but with the team being more scattered and people not having as much free time in the short stanza it would have been good to be somewhat more direct and maybe even take charge a bit. But when time was running short you did a TON of great work pulling it together and adding context/intros to all the different sections and tying it mostly all together. Also, if you have deadlines you need things done by, make sure you let your team know as far in advance as possible because I saw a few people caught off guard there.
- Gonna give @pix a quick shout out here too for helping give the team a few much needed pushes when they were stalled once or twice.
- And @Outbound for making some lovely maps that helped push some of the more vague concepts into things that were more grounded and helped organize stuff. The stylistic appearance of them is excellent and gives it the flexibility for some of the details that were figured out last minute.
- That being said, this was a shorter round and some players were busy and you chose a very ambitious theme. There are a lot of factors here that could lead to this being a bit of an off-stanza. I know this team is incredible and work amazingly well together usually! Heck, I worked with you guys and said repeatedly then that this was one of the best teams I'd ever worked with and every stanza we did went incredibly smoothly. As we transition back into more full length stanzas and you have more time to work with and schedules clear up I'm sure most of these issues will fade away again and communication will come back.
- And again, while a bit scattered, there are some incredible stuff here which makes sense since this is an incredible group of imagineers!
- On to the Project Itself!
- The writing in the intro is done in a really charming style, this project ooozes personality!
- "We're Happy to have you as a guest!" Is such an amazing way to open a presentation!
- You mention DisneyQuest being around the world. Which implies you went back and changed things early, yet the use of modern IP like Inside Out imply this is present day. The time frame and goals of your changes need to be established. Some parts of this feel like a simple yet extensive remodel done in 2014 (Something I thought this was going to be based on the brainstorming thread) other things feel built from the ground up to be something entirely new and different. One rollercoaster probably wouldn't have fit in Disney Quest. Much less two plus everything else. Realism takes a big hit here and feel like that could have been avoided with more context. Though context seems to have been missing in the brainstorming thread too as a few people seemed confused on the direction of the project.
- That being said, while realism takes a hit, I'm gonna focus on what you have here and judge it as that. I'm not gonna judge it on what you didn't include.
- Except for arcade games. I am gonna have to knock you down a bit for not having a single arcade area. Though the focus on interactivity is still felt throughout.
- Celebrate! (Love the land names retaining that simple charm of the current version)
- Toontown World Showcase is a really fun concept! And a great way to put shops and a food court with a fun theme into your mini-interactive park.
- Fiesta and Electric Town are definitely the two highlights here for me!
- This area feels very eclectic. Which (If I'm remembering my Frasier right) means that it is very scattered and chaotic with a lot of clashing themes/visuals, but it a way that could really work well together. The chaos is the point!
- I think this works great as a Main Street for an indoor theme park! But this isn't really an indoor theme park? It kind of is. But both the original and your version of Disney Quest is very focused on interactivity and being immersed into stories you take an active role in. If Disneyland is you stepping into a movie you star in, this "park" is stepping into a game. And every attraction (Or most at least) carries that theme of interactivity. This entrance doesn't really set that tone. Some form of interactive game through the "land" or a mystery to solve hidden throughout or something else was needed to properly fit the land this is the entrance to.
- Again, I adore. Just not quite right for this Disney Quest.
- Play!
- I love the Hero's Gauntlet! Sounds very similar to the Power Bands from Super Nintendo World, but I'll let it slide because you do a good twist on them and it so perfect for this super suped up Disney Quest. My only complaint about these is that they are localised to this floor. This should have been the uniting gimmick for the whol Disney Quest update! Most Disney World guests have Magic Bands already that guests could have used. And that's easier than having to get them everytime you return to this floor.
- The unique interactive games are fantastic and add a lot! the perfectly capture the charm of "playing" I really love this floor! Rose Garden is probably my favorite small scale game!
- Updating the Pirate's Tech for Ursala is very cool. a small change, but a good update!
- The Maleficent's Lair sounds like such a fun game and a great "prize"! Again, kinda beat for beat an idea from the new Mario Land, but it is cool enough and fitting enough that I'll allow it
- The Rollercoaster loses me a bit. It isn't necessarily a bad idea. But something so out of the ordinary and large scale needs a bit more info to explain how it fits spatially into Disney Quest. Does it go outside? Is the building expanded? You don't see it cross over into the floor above it so it can't cover multiple floors. The real Disney Quest needed to cut a whole in the roof of the fourth floor to fit bumper cars. Yet you talk about reusing Pirate's tech which was on this floor so that makes me think this IS supposed to be the same building.
- That being said, a Peter Pand coaster is never a bad idea lol
- Was this whole floor @b-wolf95? I couldn't see this discussion thread, but if it is well done Wolf!
- EXPLORE
- This one was done pretty last minute due to some scheduling issues with Jokers (which happens to everyone, no worries!). So, the map is a bit simple here lol. But it work and visually captures the proper tone.
- Indoor forest/jungles are always my fvorite environments to explore in theme parks! There's a reason like 90% of what I make includes them lol
- The enhanced Escape Room sounds like such a great and unique Indiana Jones attraction! One I really love!This is one of those "no brainer" ideas that I can't believe Springs doesn't already have!
- Another Coaster. Again stretching the realism of the space, but it being a shooter makes me think it would be small and more like a faster Buzz Lightyear ride...nope it has inversions lol. A good idea, but one that needed more to flesh it out and make it work. I know it was, by neccessity of schedules, written last minute. Somethings need more time to do right though.
- The Agrabah section is a fun expansion on the already popular and fun Magic Carpet Ride. Those giant clunky 90s VR headsets are slightly dated so a big update and enhancement is a very welcome change. Though even with how dated it is this is still a crazy fun game so I am glad to see it kept.
- I don't know is the store and snack stand are needed when you have a whole food court/mall level. But these sound simple and small enough that they work as a nice compliment!
- Discover
- A great and really distinct theme here!
- CyberSpace Mountain sounds like a really fun Smuggler's Run kind of experience. A bit odd to take a name from the ever popular "Design and Build your own rollercoaster and then ride it" attraction for something completely different. BUT this new one is fantastic!
- This is a great queue and a great concept that fits so well into Disney Quest! I don't have much to say about it, but don't take that to mean I didn't like it!
- Future Labs is a really fun play area theme. With so much food alreayd, I don't know if that was needed here too. And there's also a lot of playgrounds.
- Make sure you communicate your plans so there aren't so many repeats of very similar things!
- But back to Future Labs, super fun idea for a play area and dividing it by age range is a great way to give tiny humans a chance to enjoy themselves even if a lot of the games might be a bit much for them.
- Being able to explore the original concept for EPCOT in VR with walking is an Disney fan's dream and such a great idea! I want it!
- I feel like there should be some kind of game here because this would be a lot of work just for a quick walking tour. Maybe a scavenger hunt so it encourages guests to explore more and give average people who aren't Epcot history nerds like us something to focus on.
- The four different areas gives this a lot of depth even if it is mostly just walking and looking.
- Create!
- This is the land I was most excited for! Something very unique in concept and the walking along clouds gimmick is a visual that has so much potential that really hasn't been utilized!
- Tying in Dreamfind and Figment is fun! Figment is so totally tied to Epcot that bringing him here almost feels weird, but I love Figment enough to not care about that and I'm sure most disney fans feel the same way!
- Slightly bouncy floors!
- Alright, I'm a geek who collected guidemaps as a kid and studied them when I missed Disney. I know what you mean when you say things are "taking over 5-B" because I know how old Disney Quest maps operate. You didn't include that here so the majority of people reading it have no idea what 5-B means.
- Also, there already is a new food court in Floor 3. So a second food court isn't really needed. BUT you are converting old food stands and these serve more snack/desert stuff so I can let it slide.
- Nitpicks out of the way, I love the Dream Eater Cafe! A great subtle tie to Kingdom Hearts while still fiting into the theme of the floor splendidly!
- As always @pix, some really creative signature snack ideas with the keyblade marshmallow wands!
- Riley's Pizza Place is another fun idea and the colorful memory orbs would add a really great and creative visual to the area!
- Having different specialty pizzas for the five emotions is really clever! Though I almost wish you went all out with those and just said "You can get pepperonis or cheese flavored OR you can get the super spicy Anger pizza covered in hot sausage, red pepper, and multiple kinds of chili peppers!" But with he tight time frame I can fault you for keeping it simple. I know there was some confusion for when you needed it in by.
- Food for Thought is a great way to add some warmer, brighter colors to the land! A good safe food stand with simple snacks/quick meals. The Figment Slushie is great! I'm not sure if grape and orange would blend well but I AM sure that APs would line up for an hour to instagram themselves drinking it and then pretend they love it!
- There's some weird formatting issues here, but I'm gonna attribute that to the last minute confusion.
- The Alien Invasion ride was always super fun and underrated in the old Disney Quest. I'm glad to see it is staying and just getting a big upgrade! This sounds really fun and simple! Only think it is missing is a bit of stakes. Like maybe sometimes you gotta shoot away the Memory Snatcher or gotta get to a certain score before Riley wakes up or you lose!
- The Figment attraction sounds like another really fun VR experience! I think? This takes over Ride the Comix, right?
- It isn't necessarily about more details, it is about the right details. You need to describe what kind of experience guests are gonna go on or else the readers of your project won't be able to really picture it no matter how great your descriptions are! You can't miss that key point.
- That being said, helping Figment battle a computer virus figment is a great idea and I like the use of getting to pain with Figment as the reward for winning!
- Muppet Labs... I don't know what this is? I thought from the brainstorming this was going to be more of an interactive Innoventions style play area. I think this is another VR shooting game? But with a Muppet fight? Again, you need the right details to set up the experience for the reader. Because you have amazing stuff here and a real charm to the writing! But if you don't give me context I can't go on the "journey" your writing is trying to take me on.
- Finally, the Sensory Experiences. Perfect and unique interactive exhibit that captures the tone I was expecting from the area! A really nice touch!
Overall, a very scattered and kind of unfocused project and there needs to be more clear communication next round. BUT a ton of great ideas here and so much of it is just fantastic! You're a truly amazing team, this was just a bit of an off week.
